The USA Men’s Under-23 made an absolute statement to conclude RugbyTown 7s 2021. After losing all three games on Day One, the Junior National Team came back swinging with an undefeated run that delivered four straight wins and the 9th Place Bowl with victories over the North American Lions (33-14) and Houston SaberCats Sevens (26-19) today.
“We knew we were on an upward trajectory, even on Day One,” said Head Coach Colton Cariaga. “The difference was that we took our opportunities better at the end of games and got a strong contribution from our bench.”
“This final series of play really captured our weekend well. We were defending our line — we bent but didn’t break — then our playmakers capitalized and went the distance to seal the win. That pure guts and confidence to back our skill.
“Moving forward, the men will enjoy their last bit of time together before heading their separate ways. As for the staff, we’ll do a comprehensive review of the assembly and the depth chart before looking ahead to the next cycle.”
With exciting genius in attack, the U23s were unstoppable against the North American Lions. The squad kept the ball moving quickly all around the pitch, capitalizing on every set piece play and continuously using every man to his strengths — exactly as they did the day before.
The SaberCats were clearly outmatched in the first half of the Bowl Final and came back with a vengeance to control possession and tie it up in the second half. The USA showed some promising defensive efforts but a few penalties allowed the ‘Cats to claw their way back in the game.
Down one score with one play to go, Houston committed two back-to-back penalties which allowed the USA’s Lucas LaCamp to run the ball clear into space and chip over the top for Sam Walsh to collect and score mid-posts.
LaCamp, Jack Wendling, Sam Walsh and David Still had strong performances all weekend; although the same could be said for nearly every player in Coach Cariaga’s lineup.
LaCamp led the squad in tries with (8) eight total, scoring in all but one game including a hat trick against the North American Lions. Wendling was next with (4) four tries, showing impressive support play to drive in several scores off the back-end of numerous attacking sprees by the entire squad.
As is the case for every RugbyTown 7s event, national team coaches will review performances in the coming weeks. The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series resumes this September giving a short runway for the senior national team to bring new faces into the fold.
USA Men’s U23 Results
vs SoCal Griffins | 12-26 (L)
Tries | Lucas LaCamp (2), Sam Walsh
vs SaberCats | 12-28 (L)
Tries | Nick Hardrict, David Still
Cons | Eric Naposki-Abdalah
vs DBlock Santa Rosa | 12-26 (L)
Tries | Lucas LaCamp, David Still
Cons | Coleson Warner
vs Oregon Sharks | 35-10 (W)
Tries | Shawn Clark, Eric Naposki-Abdalah, Lucas LaCamp, Orrin Bizer, Jack Wendling
Cons | Coleson Warner (5)
vs Gorilla Rugby | 26-19 (W)
Tries | Jack Wendling (2), Eric Naposki-Abdalah, Sam Walsh
Cons | Coleson Warner (2), Sam Walsh
vs North American Lions | 33-14 (W)
Tries | Lucas LaCamp (3), Orrin Bizer, Eric Naposki-Abdalah
Cons | Warner (4)
vs Houston SaberCats | 26-19 (W)
Tries | Jack Wendling, Lucas LaCamp, Walsh (2)
Cons | Warner (2), Walsh
USA Men’s U23 Roster
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | CLUB |
| Orrin Bizer | Prop | Life University |
| Shawn Clark | Prop | Colorado XOs |
| Nick Hardrict | Wing | Lindenwood University |
| Donovan Law | Hooker | Life University |
| Lucas Lacamp | Center | UCLA |
| Mike Matarazzo | Prop | Rugby ATL |
| Eric Naposki-Abdalah | Halfback | UCLA |
| Ryan Santos | Prop | Harvard University |
| David Still | Wing | Colorado XOs |
| Peyton Wall | Hooker | Indiana University |
| Sam Walsh | Flyhalf | University of California – Berkeley |
| Coleson Warner | Flyhalf | Lindenwood University |
| Jack Wendling | Center/Prop | Central Washington University |
USA Men’s U23 Staff
Men’s HP Pathways Manager | Brendan Keane
Head Coach | Colton Cariaga
Strength & Conditioning | Lucas Baistrocchi
Athletic Trainer | Anna Unnasch
